Imperial Guard in 6th Edition: Troops

Please read my disclaimer.

For more in depth approach, I would recommend pottering over to 3++, where they are starting a far more comprehensive analysis.

For the Troops section, I am going to treat the different parts of an Infantry Platoon separately, for my own sanity and to break up the walls of text.

In general, I need to be painting and choosing far more infantry, and troops in particular in the new edition. I was definitely short of boots on the ground last edition, and I need to address that early on, as I am suspecting that infantry have a bit more utility now.

Platoon Command Squad
I generally see the Platoon Command Squad's job as augmenting the infantry squads it is taken with - with a few minor exceptions. It can improve their running, improve their going to ground and their lasguns. The only exception to this is if a squad is keeping up with Rough Riders, then Move, Move, Move becomes incredibly useful there.

I'm also becoming happier about PCS being deployed with a Chimera. I dislike fully mechanised Guard as they are, by canon, supposed to be the exception rather than the rule. Still, the idea of at least some of the officers getting their own transports makes a great deal of sense.

I generally equip with short range weapons such as melta guns and rock up field in a Chimera, although I've also used them with a static blob squad, acting as a "bubble" within which armour will be afraid to venture.

So what other uses could I see for them?

Things to try
- The all flamer in a Chimera option is viable, effectively the mechanised version of a special weapons squad. They end up doing little in the way of actual commanding and run off to flame-thrower things to death.
- Camping with a backfield blob is possible, picking out a suitable heavy weapon to round the squad out
- Will the medi-pack have utility here? I've generally avoided them as over-priced for what PCS bring to the table
- Snipers - while not as good as the CCS doing it, the sniper rifle still has something to give this edition
- Grenade launchers, for cheap, mobile and multi use firepower - hull point draining pain, in particular
- Close combat options should probably be considered
- Commissars and Power Fists given the difficulty of getting AP2 could also be viable
- Krak Grenades & Melta Bombs - how good are they, and what do they go well with? (The answer is not bacon, whatever my wife says.)

Captain Al'rahem
He's getting his own entry due to being so weird.

In general, I love Al'rahem as a Tallarn player. His fluff suits, he's got some nice clever abilities, and an instant death power weapon. What makes him interesting is that the platoon he's taken with must outflank, leaving a very significant portion of your force in reserve and ambling off to come on a random board edge. With my dislike of mechanised warfare, this leaves me with a real risk of utter disaster!

In addition, his equipment list is unashamedly close combat, but he lacks anything to seriously injure a tank up close.

Things to try
- Taking him - although this implies a radical rethink of how I use my main infantry platoon as is. I should probably take a second to bulk out my "on table" forces until he does show up - this also implies its a good idea to have a CCS with an Astropath. Already, a large portion of the army make up is decided for taking Al'rahem.
- Creed / Al'rahem combo. Unless 6th edition allows an independent character added to a scouting unit to also scout, this normally precludes the addition of a further independent character to back the squad up. Creed's ability to bestow Scout gets around this, allowing a Priest with an Eviscerator to both add anti tank punch to Al'rahem's squad, but also re-rolling those nasty instant death attacks
- Suddenly, anti tank! Take heavy weapons with Al'rahem, run into position on the flank, and actually go for a good old fashioned crossfire.

Infantry Squad
I've been taking pretty a well equipped and Commissared up 20 man blob up until now - melta guns, autocannons, lots of power weapons. This ended up with a static squad that camped an objective, but didn't contribute heavily to the game. It was a lot of points, but was ultimately out manuevered in a lot of games. There was little motivation to move the squad as the heavy weapons wouldn't fire otherwise, and they were rarely wanting to close to up close.

Things to try
- Much bigger blob squads with less equipment
- Specialising blobs into either special or heavy weapons to save points
- Krak grenades and melta bombs
- Mechanised? But I do hate it with a burning passion
- Partially mechanised
- Forty or fifty man squads with two special weapons and two heavy weapons, leaving flexibility as to whether they're two 20 man squads or one big 40 man.

Heavy Weapon Squads
I've avoided these so far on the grounds that they seem to attract a lot of firepower love fast, and die quick for an easy kill point. Still, revisiting things in the new edition and all that...

Things to try
- Lots of twin linked shots when "Bring it Down" comes up as a back up for fliers
- Missile Launchers. Doubly so when I bully someone from GW into telling me what a Flakk missile should cost and that its an option for Guard. Please?
- Lascannons, for all your anti tank needs
- Mortars - especially as this gets around the attracting firepower thing, and they're dirt cheap!

Special Weapons Squads
Never tried them, willing to learn!

Things to try
- Flamers, Demo charges & a Valkyrie / Vendetta transport
- More snipers. Still think Ratlings are better, but these ones can outflank with Al'rahem and show up at the same time. Team Ratling would show up on its lonesome.
- Melta is the obvious, but lacking in Chimeras - do Veterans do this better? Special Weapons squads do it cheaper! Once more, our fliers may be the answer here, and these guys are scoring...
- Embedded Plasma gunners with the larger blob squads for Terminators, Trygons and other deep striking surprises

Conscripts
I used to buy them for mobile cover. I find this a bit redundant now I can buy the Aegis Defence line!

Things to try
- 50 men, Commissar Lord, Tarpit.
- Volume of fire
- Checking for any dirty tricks that could be done with psykers for an incredibly cheap 50 man unit
- Consider 2 squads of 50 for sheer mass of men on the tabletop, and send them after objectives.
- Once I've got the hang of guard, maybe a "Battle Brother" HQ choice leading? Fearless, maybe?

Veteran Squad
So many options! I've been having a lot of fun with Demolitions, and I'll probably continue to do so. Currently, I'm running two flamers and a grenade launcher, solely to give them a variety of things they can do.

Things to try
- Forward Sentries, especially with sniper rifles
- Sniper rifles and a lascannon in back field, especially for the 2+ save types
- What use _is_ Grenadiers?
- Plasma. Still hating Monstrous Creatures and finding ways of taking them down.
- Is it possible to make them a close combat back up for a combat IC and / or Priest?

Penal Legion Squad
Well, I've been using my conscripts as Penal Legion to bulk out my available troops choices, and I've grown quite fond of them? Why? Well, in short, they're cheap and stubborn. Still, I've not used their scouts move as much as I could have, so some exploration of them as an objective chaser in multiple objective missions seems like a good idea. They have no options, so there's not much else to say!